Method for water treatment regeneration stage

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the invention provide a method and system for providing a regeneration stage in a water treatment system. The method can include entering a first air bleed state to allow pressurized, deoxygenated air to exit the water treatment system, entering a second air bleed state to equalize a first air pressure of remaining deoxygenated air inside the water treatment system with a second air pressure outside the water treatment system, entering a backwash state to expel remaining deoxygenated air and particulates from inside the water treatment system, and entering an air draw state to allow oxygenated air to enter the water treatment system.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/697,949, entitled “System and Method for Water Treatment RegenerationStage”, by Andrew Tischendorf et al. filed Feb. 1, 2010, which is herebyincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Water treatment systems, such as mineral removal systems (e.g., iron,sulfide, and manganese) and/or water softener systems, are used to treatwater in businesses, industries, and homes. Conventional water treatmentsystems include tanks into which untreated water flows and is forced tomix with oxygenated air. Ions in the untreated water can become oxidizedby the oxygenated air, resulting is solid particulates. The untreatedwater can then pass through a resin bed. The resin bed can allow treatedwater to pass, while trapping the solid particulates. This processcreates a pressure buildup inside the tank. As a result, when the tankis opened to the atmosphere, deoxygenated air can rapidly evacuate thetank. This rapid evacuation of air can jar pipes and other components,resulting in noisy water treatment systems.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for a regenerationstage in a water treatment system. The method can include entering afirst air bleed state for a first time period to allow pressurized,deoxygenated air to exit the water treatment system, and entering asecond air bleed state for a second time period to equalize a first airpressure of remaining deoxygenated air inside the water treatment systemwith a second air pressure outside the water treatment system. Themethod can also include entering a backwash state for a third timeperiod to expel remaining deoxygenated air and particulates from insidethe water treatment system, and entering an air draw state for a fourthtime period to allow oxygenated air to enter the water treatment system.In some embodiments, the method can be used in a water treatment systemdesigned to remove iron, sulfide, and/or manganese from water.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a water treatment system, accordingto one embodiment of the invention, in a service state.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a valve assembly of the water treatmentsystem of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a piston assembly and a spacer assembly ofthe valve assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating operation of the water treatmentsystem of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the water treatment system of FIG. 1in an air bleed state.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the water treatment system of FIG. 1in a backwash state.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the water treatment system of FIG. 1in an air draw state.

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of a powerhead of the water treatment systemof FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a back perspective view of a circuit board of the powerhead ofFIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a user control method for a watertreatment system according to one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction and the arrangement of components set forthin the following description or illustrated in the following drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orof being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood thatthe phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein ismeant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereofas well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, theterms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variationsthereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirectmountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected”and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connectionsor couplings.

The following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in theart to make and use embodiments of the invention. Various modificationsto the illustrated embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and the generic principles herein can be applied to otherembodiments and applications without departing from embodiments of theinvention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not intended to belimited to embodiments shown, but are to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. Thefollowing detailed description is to be read with reference to thefigures, in which like elements in different figures have like referencenumerals. The figures, which are not necessarily to scale, depictselected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope ofembodiments of the invention. Skilled artisans will recognize theexamples provided herein have many useful alternatives and fall withinthe scope of embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a water treatment system 10 according to oneembodiment of the invention. The water treatment system 10 can be usedcommercially or residentially to remove iron, sulfide, and/or manganese,among other oxidizable minerals, in water. The water treatment system 10can include a tank 12 and a head portion 14. The head portion 14 caninclude a powerhead 16 (as shown in FIG. 8), a valve assembly 18, andfluid ports 20-28. The fluid ports can include a drain 20, a top portion22 of the tank 12, an inlet 24, an outlet 26, and a distributor 28. Thehead portion 14 can also include a threaded portion 30 for coupling thehead portion 14 to the tank 12. In certain operational states, the tank12 can include an air layer 32, a media layer 34, and a water layer 36.

FIG. 2 illustrates the valve assembly 18 according to one embodiment ofthe invention. The valve assembly 18 can include a valve body 38, apiston assembly 40, a spacer assembly 42, a turbine meter assembly 44,an injector assembly 46, and a bypass assembly 48. In some embodiments,the water treatment system 10 can be used for water softening and thevalve assembly 18 can also include a brine valve assembly 50 and a brineline flow control (BLFC) assembly 52.

The valve assembly 18 can also include a drain channel 54, an inletchannel 56, an outlet channel 58, and a distributor channel 60 in fluidcommunication with the drain 20, the inlet 24, the outlet 26, and thedistributor 28, respectively. The drain channel 54 can be connected topiping (not shown) via a drain housing 62 or an alternate drain housing64 with a drain retainer clip 66. The inlet channel 56 and the outletchannel 58 can be coupled to the bypass assembly 48 via H-clips 68. Thebypass assembly 48 can further be coupled to connectors 70 via o-rings72 and H-clips 68. In some embodiments, alternate connectors 74 or anelbow connector 76 (via an o-ring 72 and an H-clip 68) can be used inplace of the connectors 70. The distributor channel 60 can be coupled toa first collector 78 via an adaptor 80 and o-rings 72. In addition, theinjector assembly 46 can include an injector cap 82, an injector nozzle84, an injector throat 86, a ball 88, a ball gage 90, an injector screen92, and o-rings 72. The injector assembly 46 can be used to allow air toenter the valve assembly 18 and can be coupled to the valve body via anH-clip 68.

FIG. 3 illustrates the piston assembly 40 and the spacer assembly 42. Asshown in FIG. 3, the spacer assembly 42 can include piston seals 94separated by spacers 96. The piston seals 94 can be aligned between thefluid ports 18-26 in the valve body 38. The piston assembly 40 caninclude a link 98, a piston rod 100, an end plug 102, an o-ring 72, aquad ring 104, an end plug seal 106, a piston rod retainer 108, and apiston 110. The piston 110 can include large diameter sections 112 andsmall diameter sections 114. The large diameter sections 112 can engagethe piston seals 94 to substantially seal fluid paths between one ormore of the fluid ports 18-26, depending on the position of the piston110 in the spacer assembly 42. In addition, the small diameter portions114 can permit fluid paths between one or more of the fluid ports 18-26.The position of the piston 110 can affect an operational state of thewater treatment system 10, as described below.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart outlining the operation of the water treatmentsystem 10 according to one embodiment of the invention. The watertreatment system 10 can start in a service state at step 116 where thepiston 110 is in a first position. If a regeneration stage is triggeredin step 118, the piston 110 can be repositioned at step 120 so that thewater treatment system 10 is in a first air bleed state at step 122. Thewater treatment system 10 can be in the first air bleed state (at step122) until a time limit has been reached at step 124. The piston 110 canthen be repositioned at step 126 so that the water treatment system 10is in a second air bleed state at step 128. After another time limit atstep 130, the piston 110 can be repositioned at step 132 so that thewater treatment system 10 is in a backwash state at step 134. The watertreatment system 10 can be in the backwash state (at step 134) untilanother time limit has been reached at step 136. Once the time limit hasbeen reached at step 136, the piston 110 can again be repositioned atstep 138 so that the water treatment system 10 is in an air draw stateat step 140 for another time limit (at step 142). The piston 110 canthen return to the first position at step 144 and the water treatmentsystem 10 can again be in the service state at step 116. The time limitscan be predefined and can differ from one another (as described below).

FIG. 1 illustrates the water treatment system 10 in the service state(i.e., at step 116 of FIG. 4). In the service state, the piston 110 canbe positioned to the far right within the spacer assembly 42 such thatuntreated water can enter through the inlet 24, through the top portion22, past a baffle 146, and enter the air layer 32 of the tank 12. Thebaffle 146 can disperse the untreated water into the air layer 32 toallow sufficient mixing of oxygen molecules in the air layer 32 withminerals (e.g., iron, sulfide, manganese, etc., in ion form) in theuntreated water. By mixing with the oxygen molecules, the minerals canbecome oxidized and, as a result, become solid molecules orparticulates. After passing through the air layer 32, the untreatedwater can reach the media layer 34. The media layer 34 can include afiltration media or resin 148, which can filter the solid particulatesformed in the air layer 32 as well as any other particulates to allowtreated water to pass to the water layer 36. The treated water can thenpass through a second collector 150, up a distributor pipe 152, throughthe distributor 28, and out through the outlet 26. The second collector150 can act as a screen to prevent the filtration media 148 from leavingthe tank 12.

While in the service state, oxygen in the air layer 32 can becomedepleted due to the oxidation of the minerals. As a result, the watertreatment system 10 can enter the regeneration stage to replenish theair layer 30. The regeneration stage can include the first air bleedstate (i.e., step 122 of FIG. 4), the second air bleed state (i.e., step128 of FIG. 4), the backwash state (i.e., step 134 of FIG. 4), and theair draw state (i.e., step 140 of FIG. 4). In the first air bleed state,as shown in FIG. 5, the piston 110 can be moved slightly to the leftsuch that the top portion 22 is no longer in fluid communication withthe inlet 24. The piston 110 can be positioned slightly offset from oneof the piston seals 94 so that there is a small vent channel 154 betweenthe top portion 22 and the drain 20, allowing air (i.e., pressurizedair) to exit the tank 12 through the drain 20. In the second air bleedstate, the piston 110 can again be moved to the left to further open thevent channel 154 and allow more air to leave the tank 12. Following thesecond air bleed state, any air still in the tank 12 can be at the samepressure as air outside the tank 12 (i.e., there is no longer apressurized air head inside the tank 12). In some embodiments, thedistance between the piston seal 94 and the piston 110 during the firstair bleed can be in the range of about 0.01 inches to about 0.02 inches,creating a vent channel 154 with an area of about 0.05 square inches.The distance between the piston seal 94 and the piston 110 during thesecond air bleed can be greater than or equal to about 0.05 inches,creating a vent channel 154 with an area of about 0.1 square inches.These distances and areas have been found to provide effective airbleeding without adverse effects, such as noise and vibration.

While in the service state, the addition of untreated water can compressthe air within the tank 12, creating the pressurized air head. If thepiston 110 were to completely open a fluid path between the top portion22 and the drain 20 during the regeneration stage, the pressurized airwould rapidly evacuate the tank 12. This rapid evacuation of air cancause noise from the air flow itself and can also jar pipes andcomponents, resulting in a noisy water treatment system. Using thesmaller vent channel 154 for the first air bleed state for a predefinedtime period allows the pressurized air to slowly bleed out, thusreducing noise in the water treatment system 10. The time periods forthe first air bleed state and the second air bleed state can be definedso that the air bleed states are performed within a substantiallyminimum time frame that still allows optimum air bleeding without theadverse effects.

The backwash state, as shown in FIG. 6, can follow the second air bleedstate. In the backwash state, the piston 110 can be positioned furtherto the left such that the inlet 24 is in communication with thedistributor 28 and the top portion 22 is in communication with the drain20. Water from the inlet 24 can flow through the distributor 28 backinto the tank 12 via the distributor pipe 152 and the second collector150. The water layer 36 can then rise, thus lifting and agitating thefiltration media 148 to carry particulates (i.e., the solid molecules)out of the tank 12 through the top portion 22 to the drain 20. Inaddition, as the water layer 36 rises, any air left in the tank 12 canbe pushed out through the drain as well.

FIG. 7 illustrates the water treatment system 10 in the air draw state.After the backwash state, air from the atmosphere (i.e., oxygenated air)can reenter the tank 12 to replenish the air layer 32 and to pack downthe media layer 34. The air can enter the valve assembly 18 via theinjector assembly 46. The air can then pass through a venturi assembly156. The venturi assembly 156 can create a vacuum to draw the air anduntreated water from the inlet 24 into the top portion 22. The air canmix with the untreated water traveling through top portion 22 andreplenish the air layer 32 in tank 12. Once the air draw has beencompleted (i.e., the air layer 32 has a new supply of oxygen), thepiston 110 can be repositioned back to the far right and the watertreatment system 10 can return to the service state.

As shown in FIG. 8, the piston assembly 40 can be operated by an encoder158, such as an optical encoder, in the powerhead 16. The encoder 158can include an encoder shaft 160 coupled to, or integral with, aneccentric shaft 162. The eccentric shaft 162 can be coupled to thepiston 110 by engaging a hole 164 in the link 98 (i.e., the link 98 ofthe piston assembly 40, as shown in FIG. 3). In some embodiments, theencoder 158 can include about 85 positioning slot/rib pairs and onehoming slot/rib pair. The arrangement of the positioning slots/ribs canallow rotational control of the encoder 158 within about two-degreeincrements. The homing slot/rib pair can be used to stop rotation of theencoder 158. The full lateral movement of the piston 110 can be about1.125 inches, with movement control in increments of about 0.013 inches,because motion translated from a rotational element (i.e., the encoder158) to a linear element (i.e., the piston 110) creates a sinusoidalrelationship between rotational control and linear control. The precisecontrol by the encoder 158 can allow the piston 110 to create the smallvent channels 154 with respect to the piston seals 94 during the firstand the second air bleed states.

Positional control of the encoder 158 can be provided through the use ofa motor 166, an optical sensor 167 (shown in FIG. 9), and a controller169 (such as a microcontroller, shown in FIG. 9). A motor drive gear 168can be rotated by the motor 166 and can engage an encoder drive gear 170to rotate the encoder 158. The motor 166 can be coupled to and supportedby an upper support plate 172 with fasteners 174. The motor 166 can alsobe electrically connected to a circuit board 176 by a wire harness 178.

The controller 169 can be coupled to a front side 195 of the circuitboard 176, as shown in FIG. 8. The optical sensor 167 can be separate orintegral with the encoder 158 and can provide control inputs to thecontroller 169 regarding the position of the encoder 158. In oneembodiment, the optical sensor 167 can be coupled to a back side 179 ofthe circuit board 176, as shown in FIG. 9. The motor 166 can receivecontrol outputs from the controller 169 to adjust or maintain theposition of the encoder 158. The optical sensor 167 can be positionedrelative to the encoder 158 so that rotation of the encoder 158 via themotor 166 can alternately enable and disable the optical sensor'soptical path.

The powerhead 16, as shown in FIG. 8, can also include a backplate 180,a cover 182, a display 184, a lower support plate 186, a switch 188, acam 190, a transformer 192, and a meter cable 194. The backplate 180 andthe cover 182 can enclose the components of the powerhead 16, includingthe motor 166, the circuit board 176, the encoder 158, etc. The display184 can be coupled to the front side 195 of the circuit board 176 andcontrolled by the controller 169. A hole 196 in the cover 182 can allowa user to view the display 184. The lower support plate 186 can supportthe encoder 185 and the encoder drive gear 170. The switch 188 and thecam 190 can be supported by the upper support plate 172. The transformer192 can be electrically connected to a conventional outlet to power thewater treatment system 10 (e.g., through the controller 169). The metercable 194 can be used to detect water flow to the tank 12 and can beelectrically connected to the controller 169. In some embodiments, thecontroller 169 can trigger the regeneration stage after a predeterminedamount of water flow to the tank 12, as detected by the meter cable 194.In other embodiments, the controller 169 can trigger the regenerationstage after a predetermined amount of time.

FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of a user control method for thewater treatment system 10 according to one embodiment of the invention.The steps described below can be adjustable operational controls used bythe controller 169 to operate the water treatment system 10. These stepscan be displayed by the display 184 and a user can make adjustmentsaccordingly by pressing buttons 198 on the circuit board 176 throughbutton covers 200 on the cover 184. In one embodiment, these steps canbe displayed during a “system setup” of the water treatment system 10.At step 202, the user can choose the system type, such as a timed systemor a metered system. The timed system can trigger regeneration stagesafter predetermined lengths of time, while the metered system cantrigger regeneration stages after predetermined amounts of water flow,as described above with reference to the meter cable 194. At step 204,the user can choose the valve type, for example by entering or choosingthe type of valve assembly being used in the water treatment system 10.At step 206, the user can choose what type of regenerant flow is needed.For example, the user can choose a 5-cycle regeneration stage to beperformed. At step 208, the user can choose whether information isdisplayed in metric (SI) or US units. At step 210, the user can choose aregeneration override time, for example, a number of days. Aregeneration override can occur when the regeneration stage has not beentriggered in a predetermined length of time (as designated by the user).At step 212, the user can choose a time of day the regeneration stageshould be triggered. At step 214, the user can choose a time period,such as about 2 minutes, for the water treatment system 10 to operate ata first cycle (e.g., the first air bleed state). At step 216, the usercan choose a time period, such as about 1 minute, for the watertreatment system 10 to operate at a second cycle (e.g., the second airbleed state). At step 218, the user can choose a time period, such asabout 10 minutes, for the water treatment system 10 to operate at athird cycle (e.g., the backwash state). At control step 220, the usercan choose a time period, such as about 40 minutes, for the watertreatment system 10 to operate at a fourth cycle (e.g., the air drawstate). At step 222, the user can choose a time period, such as about 10minutes, for the water treatment system 10 to operate at a fifth cycle(e.g., a rapid rinse state, often used for water softening). At step224, the user can choose to enable or disable an auxiliary relay, suchas an alarm. At control step, the user can choose to allow the watertreatment system 10 to enter the service state (e.g., for the first timeafter installation).

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while theinvention has been described above in connection with particularembodiments and examples, the invention is not necessarily so limited,and that numerous other embodiments, examples, uses, modifications anddepartures from the embodiments, examples and uses are intended to beencompassed by the claims attached hereto. The entire disclosure of eachpatent and publication cited herein is incorporated by reference, as ifeach such patent or publication were individually incorporated byreference herein. Various features and advantages of the invention areset forth in the following claims.

1. A method of providing a regeneration stage in a water treatmentsystem, the method comprising: pressurizing a tank by the addition ofuntreated water; entering a first air bleed state for a first timeperiod to allow pressurized, deoxygenated air to exit the watertreatment system; entering a second air bleed state for a second timeperiod to equalize a first air pressure of remaining deoxygenated airinside the water treatment system with a second atmospheric air pressureoutside the water treatment system; entering a backwash state for athird time period to expel the remaining deoxygenated air andparticulates from inside the water treatment system; and entering an airdraw state for a fourth time period to allow oxygenated air to enter thewater treatment system.
 2. The method of claim 1 and further comprisingproviding a valve assembly and a powerhead to operate the watertreatment system in the first air bleed state, the second air bleedstate, the backwash state, and the air draw state.
 3. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the first time period is about 2 minutes.
 4. The methodof claim 1 wherein the second time period is about 1 minute.
 5. Themethod of claim 1 wherein each one of the first time period, the secondtime period, the third time period, and the fourth time period isadjustable.
 6. The method of claim 1 and further comprising removing atleast one of iron, sulfide, and manganese using the water treatmentsystem.